The present embodiments relate generally to medical devices, and more particularly, to an expandable mesh that may be used in a variety of procedures.
There are many instances in which it may be desirable to deliver an expandable mesh into a human or animal body. By way of example, and without limitation, such expandable meshes may be used to treat perforations in tissue or bodily walls that are formed intentionally or unintentionally.
For example, an unintentional abdominal hernia may be formed in the abdominal wall due to heavy lifting, coughing, strain imposed during a bowel movement or urination, fluid in the abdominal cavity, or other reasons. Intentional perforations may be formed, for example, during surgical procedures such as translumenal procedures. In a translumenal procedure, one or more instruments, such as an endoscope, may be inserted through a visceral wall, such as the stomach wall. During a translumenal procedure, a closure instrument may be used to close the perforation in the visceral wall. Depending on the structure comprising the perforation, it may be difficult to adequately close the perforation and prevent leakage of bodily fluids.
Attempts to seal perforations have been made by coupling a graft member to tissue. For example, during hernia repair, a graft material such as a mesh or patch may be disposed to cover the perforation. The graft material may completely overlap with the perforation, and the edges of the graft material may at least partially overlap with tissue surrounding the perforation. The graft material then may be secured to the surrounding tissue in an attempt to effectively cover and seal the perforation.
In order to secure the graft material to the surrounding tissue, sutures commonly are manually threaded through the full thickness of the surrounding tissue. In the case of an abdominal hernia, the sutures may be threaded through the thickness of the abdominal wall, then tied down and knotted. However, such manual suturing techniques may be time consuming and/or difficult to perform.
There is also a hernia repair method commonly referred to as a “mesh plug” or “plug and patch” repair technique, in which a surgeon uses a mesh plug to fill the perforation. Potential advantages include fewer sutures and less tissue dissection. However, a mesh plug alone may not effectively cover the entire area of the perforation, or alternatively, the mesh plug may shrink, become loose, or poke into the bladder or intestines.